One Year Makes A Big Difference For Austin

CHICAGO - — Isaac Austin celebrated an anniversary Wednesday. One year ago, the little-known center participated in a free-agent tryout camp at LaSalle High in Miami.

Austin has emerged as perhaps the premier reserve center in the NBA and the winner of the league's Most Improved Player Award.

The season ended unpleasantly for Austin, who fractured his right elbow when he landed on the floor in a 100-87 Game 5 loss to the Chicago Bulls. But before the game, the Heat had a chance to reflect on how Austin had come so far in just one year.

"I was thinking that I wanted to give myself a chance to achieve some goals in this league," Austin said. "Now it's really hit home, that it's been a year and I'm still playing, still going. This is like being the Energizer bunny."

Because of the team's playoff success, General Manager Randy Pfund said the Heat deferred its free-agent camps until after the postseason. The Heat's initial tryout camp, Pfund said, will come "four or five days after the draft."

Austin entered the Heat's tryout camp a year ago as just another journeyman hoping for a second chance.

"I really think we got lucky," Pfund said of Austin. "But we did see some things right away that we liked."

Pfund already has been piecing together names for another tryout camp. But he said this year's approach would be different, now that the Heat has more roster stability than a year ago. Alonzo Mourning, Austin, Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown, Dan Majerle, Keith Askins, Mark Strickland, Tim Hardaway and Gary Grant are under contract for next season. And Voshon Lenard almost certainly will be retained as a free agent. That's 10 players for 12 roster spots, with the Heat also holding firstand second-round draft choices and a $1 million salary-cap exemption to sign a veteran free agent.

"Last year, we had a number of [roster) spots and we wanted to look at a number of guys," Pfund said. "We kind of jumped the gun with our camp. This year, we can afford to wait a little longer."

Quiet approach

Coach Pat Riley and his players declined to talk following Wednesday morning's shootaround.

"What do you want me to say?" Riley said as he exited the United Center. "We're afraid for our health."

Riley was alluding to the tough talk by the Bulls in the Chicago newspapers.

Although the Bulls have been fined $75,000 during the playoffs for not making their players available to the media, NBA Vice President Brian McIntyre said there is no such requirement for game-day shootarounds.

Anderson absent

Forward Willie Anderson, who returned to Atlanta on Monday to be with his ailing father, was absent Wednesday night. Anderson's brother, Shandon, played Tuesday for the Jazz, returning to Utah at his father's request. ...

Of Michael Jordan's quote that the series had become personal because of the Heat's physical play, Hardaway said, "Every game is personal to me."... Power forward P.J. Brown said he understands people thinking his two-game suspension during the Knicks series reduced his aggressiveness against the Bulls. "I definitely have not played P.J. Brown basketball," he said. "But I can't believe it is because of the incident. I hope it's not that way."